


The Protection Job

by Annide



Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [21]
Category: Leverage
Genre: Broken Promises, Coma, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Post-Canon, Protectiveness, Sharing a Bed, Won't Leave Their Side, hand holding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:53:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26273653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annide/pseuds/Annide
Summary: Eliot falls off a roof during a job, leaving Parker and Hardison unprotected.
Relationships: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer
Series: Bad Things Happen Bingo [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1667122
Comments: 10
Kudos: 70





	The Protection Job

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Bad Things Happen Bingo: Comatose

Eliot didn’t know how they missed the fact that one of the men who used to do jobs for Moreau worked there, but here he was, on top of the roof, facing him. And the man wasn’t bad for a lower level member of the organisation. He was clearly used to solving his problems from a larger distance, with a gun instead of his hands. However, he knew exactly how to destabilise Eliot. He only said two words. One name. One year. It was all it took.

In an instant, Eliot was right back there, in that house, torturing that man, killing his wife right in front of him. All while their children hid in the next room, witnessing horrors neither of them could ever forget, through a slight opening of the door. Eliot left them to pick up the pieces of their barely alive father, literally as well as figuratively. A father who would never be able to take care of them the way he used to, a father who must’ve wished Eliot had finished the job and killed him too.

It was maybe a few seconds of being frozen and zoned out, but it was plenty of time for the man to push Eliot off the roof and run back inside. Where Parker and Hardison still were. Unprotected. Eliot was supposed to keep them safe. He’d promised to always keep them safe, no matter what. But he let someone get the upper hand on him and, now, who knew what would happen. They could get badly hurt and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

* * *

Hardison could barely keep still when they rolled Eliot back into their room. He’d managed to get a double for him and Parker so the three of them could stay together. The nurses could talk to him all they wanted about visiting hours, he wasn’t going anywhere. The two people he loved most in this world had gotten hurt protecting him and there was no way he was letting them out of his sight.

He’d been discharged almost immediately. He had a few bruises, but nothing major. They’d done blood tests and checked him for a concussion just to be sure, considering the state of the others. Parker had cracked ribs, a dislocated shoulder and a sprained ankle, along with bruises similar to his. She’d taken the brunt of the attack, putting herself between Hardison and the guard who came after them. He wanted to protect her, but she wouldn’t let him, she was protecting him.

However, whatever amount of physical pain they were in as Hardison helped Parker out of the building, half carrying her, was nothing compared to the feeling that overcame them when they found Eliot, passed out on the sidewalk, severely injured and bleeding, but still breathing. It felt like all the air was sucked out of their lungs, like someone had ripped their heart out of their chest. They called 911, sat by his side to wait and took his hands in theirs, careful not to move him, just in case the fall hurt his spine.

Now, Hardison sat on a chair, between both beds, his hands extended so he could hold both Parker’s and Eliot’s hands. The doctors said Eliot was in a coma, as his body needed time to recover from his injuries. They were confident about his chances, but there wasn’t much they could do now, just wait and be patient.

* * *

Parker felt heavy, as if her entire body was holding her down. She’d never been so sore in her life. She opened her eyes slowly, taking in the state of herself. Her arm in a sling, her ankle wrapped in bandages, and her ribs that hurt when she breathed. She’d be stuck at home for a few weeks at least. But as she turned her head and saw Hardison, sitting next to her bed with nothing worse than a few bruises, it was all worth it. She’d kept him safe.

She squeezed Hardison’s hand to pull his attention away from Eliot, at least for a moment. He smiled so bright when he noticed she was awake, it warmed her heart. She had never understood what love was before she met him, why people felt such a need for human connection. Now she got it. Hardison was so kind and patient, he cared so much for her and Eliot. It used to scare her, but not anymore. Now he was her home, both of their home, and neither of them could imagine their life without him.

“How is he?” She asked, her voice raspy and weak.

“They think he’ll be fine. Might take a few days for him to wake up though.”

“And you’re good?”

“Thanks to you.” Hardison smiled softly. “You know that was dumb though, right, babe? You could’ve gotten hurt a lot worse.”

“I couldn’t let you get hurt. And the weeks at home will be punishment enough.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you both. I’ll make the couch so comfortable and cover you with blankets and find the best movies for us to watch, and I’ll make you all the food you need. You won’t ever want to leave again.”

“By food, you mean cereal and popcorn, right? Because, no offense, but cooking isn’t exactly part of your skillset.”

“Hey, that’s unfair, no one looks good at cooking next to Eliot.”

“You don’t look good at cooking next to a ten-year-old. But it’s okay, you’re good at many other things.”

The next few days felt like an eternity as they waited for Eliot to recuperate and finally open his eyes. The nurses were growing exasperated by them. They kept arguing with Hardison that he’d been discharged and therefore should leave the hospital, but he refused to go anywhere. He wouldn’t leave Parker and Eliot’s side. No one could make him.

They also had to keep reminding Parker that she was supposed to stay in bed and rest. For some reason, they didn’t think Eliot’s bed was good enough. She didn’t get it. It was a bed, she was lying down, why would that be wrong? But they kept making her go back to her own, with Hardison stifling his laughter behind them, as he knew she’d just go back as soon as they left. They usually both fell asleep lying on either side of Eliot, their hands interlocked together on his chest, their heads resting on his shoulders.

The more time passed, the more worried they grew. What if he stayed like this forever? What if he woke up with permanent brain damage? It seemed they only ever got more questions and no answers. The doctors had none either. They wouldn’t know anything more until he woke up, if he did wake up. It was the worst wait of their life.

Parker was glad she had Hardison by her side, always hopeful and optimistic, doing everything he could to reassure her. They comforted each other, but it was more than that. He made sure she took care of herself, always reminding her to drink her water and eat. He’d grab the blanket from her bed to drape over her so she wouldn’t get cold on top of Eliot’s. They distracted each other with stories of their old heists, crimes they committed before they met, and some they did together, back when there were five of them. They talked about new beer ideas for the brewpub that Eliot would absolutely hate. They passed the time the best they could.

When Parker was discharged in her turn and they still refused to leave, the nurses gave up trying to convince them. They would never understand the bond the three of them had, the love they shared. And Parker didn’t need them to, as long as she could stay close to her boys.

* * *

It was mostly dark when he came back to. He was grateful for it. That and the quiet, except for the constant beeping of machines. He was in the hospital, banged up, in some pain, but alive. And his two favourite people were right there next to him. Still asleep in the soft glow of dawn. He watched them for a while, not wanting to disturb their peace. Though he knew they’d be ecstatic to see him awake.

There were bruises on both of their faces, and Parker was injured. He felt incredibly guilty about that. He’d failed them. He had one job and he couldn’t carry it out. They trusted him to keep them safe, Nate and Sophie trusted him to keep them safe, and he’d broken his promise to do so. He wrapped his arms around Hardison and Parker and pulled them closer to him, relieved to see them still by his side despite his failure to protect them.

“Eliot, babe, you’re awake.” Hardison rose up under his touch.

“We missed you.” Parker smiled.

“I’m so sorry,” Eliot could feel himself getting teary-eyed, “I let you down. I let you get hurt.”

“Hey, it’s okay, we’re okay. We know you would never do it on purpose. And you got hurt a lot worse. You scared us there for a minute.”

“Yeah, and it doesn’t even hurt that much.” Parker said.

“Plus, I get you both to myself for the next few weeks. The three of us hanging out at home, doing nothing dangerous, you know, my dream basically.”

“Good luck getting Parker to stay still that long.” Eliot laughed.

“Me? I give you two days and we’ll find you fussing around that kitchen of yours.”

“So what? It’s cooking, it’s not crawling up in the vents with a torn ACL.”

“You two are gonna be a handful, aren’t you? I guess as long as I still got you, I can handle it.” Hardison said.

Parker and Hardison hugged Eliot. He smiled, but accidentally let out a small moan of pain. They made to move away, apologising for causing him more pain, but he didn’t let them. He pulled them in, his arms tightly wrapped around them.

“Don’t go anywhere. I can take a little pain if it means making the people I love happy.”

“We love you too, Eliot.” Parker said.

“Aw, don’t get sappy on me now, babes.”

Smiles spread across their faces. Eliot put kisses on their foreheads. They lied back down on his chest, eyes closed, and in this moment, despite the pain, despite where they were, Eliot felt like the luckiest man alive. He almost looked forward to being stuck at home, not allowed to do anything as he recovered from his injuries. At least he would be with those two and it was all that mattered.


End file.
